Teachers union files NLRB complaint against Philly day school

April 10, 2014 6:39am

The board of the Perelman Jewish Day School in suburban Philadelphia said its decision to stop recognizing its teachers union would improve communication between teachers and the administration. (Wikimedia Commons)

NEW YORK (JTA) — The American Federation of Teachers filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the board of suburban Philadelphia’s Perelman Jewish Day School.

The complaint, issued Monday with the National Labor Relations Board, came in response to the school’s unilateral decision last month to no longer recognize its teachers union, the Jewish Exponent of Philadelphia reported.

A private school affiliated with the Conservative movement’s Solomon Schechter Day School Network, Perelman serves more than 300 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The school leadership has defended its decision by arguing that as a religious institution, it is exempt from the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board. The school has said also that eliminating the union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, will improve communication between teachers and administration and allow the administration needed flexibility in hiring decisions.